Recumbent-chair



=N STATES PATENT FFCE.

HENRY P. KENNEDY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RECUMBENT-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent. No. 2,100, dated May 22, 1841; Antedated April 12, 1841.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY PERES KEN- NEDY, a' native and resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia,` State of Pennsylvania, cabinet-makerA and upholsterer, have invented a new and improved action of the seat and back of a recumbent or library chair by means of the introduction of a spiral wire spring into the seat; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of said improvement. f

The nature of my invention consists in introducing a small wire spring horizontally between the back rail of the seat and the front rail of the chain, with a small pole which is inserted between the back and the front rails of the chair ruiming through a hole bored in the back rail of the seat. Over or on this said pole is placed the spring,without being fastened-the pole retaining it in its proper position. (The drawing hereto annexed marked A, demonstrates the movement.) The spring can be placed behind the seat or in the side rails so as to work against the back or side rails of the chair and the seatthe principle would be the same in either of the last named forms-though the spring would then act by extension instead of compression-but the applicant prefers the adaptation of the principle as exhibited in the drawing.

The improvement has no reference to the chair-as the drawing shows it to be one commonly used. My claim is to an actionV of the seat by means of a spring. The advantage resulting from the spring is that when sitting in the chair and pressing against the back so as to force out the seator without sitting in the chair to press down the back with the hand thus forcing out the seat, and placing the back in a reclining position the seat is not elevated so as to endanger the chair or annoy the occupant-and the seat and back by means of said spring becomes self acting in returning to their proper upright position. The great point is the simplicity of the invention and the power of applying it to any kind of chair which will admit of a movement of the seat.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction androperation.

I take any chair which will admit of a seat movement-but the one described by the drawing is preferred. I insert a pole about lgs inch thick or any diameter (so that the spring may move over it easily from the front to the back rail of the chairfastened as a mechanic may think propera hole is bored through the back rail of the seat of a size sufficient to admit the pole, a spiral wire spring, about l5 inches long when extended and can be compressed to one half or 7 inches (at which point` it has all its force) is placed on the above described pole the hole in the back rail of the seat though large enough to admit the pole will not allow the spring to pass and thus the spring is compressed between the back rail of the seat and the front rail of the chair (see drawing letter A). Thus by said compression of the spring the seatis forced out, and the back of the chair placed in a reclining position, and on arising from the seat the spring extends or opens and the proper erect position of the chair is resumed by self action. The seat when forced out is prevented from rising by two causes*1. The pole over which the spring moves would of itself, from the fact of its running through the back rail of the seat prevent an elevation of the seat. But in addition to that security. 2. rlhere are two small pieces of wood about L@ of an inch thick screwed tothe side rails of the seatl underneath the said side railswhich project about of an inch beyond this projection runs into a groove plowedin the side rails of the chair-'and the combined action as described in Nos. 1 and 2 effectually prevent the seat from rising-anl inspection of the drawing must render the principle apparent-and make the specifi-y cation clear and distinct.

The spring might be applied in various ways as before mentioned. Thus-to the back rails of the chair and seat extending the spring when forced out and compress-` ing when the seat returns to its position. But such an application of the principle would be inelegantV inasmuch as the working of the spring would be exhibited: and again into the side rails of the chair two smallspiral springs might be inserted in grooves or hollows, and fastened to the side rails of the seat so as to act by extending and com ressinfr. VThe rinci ale in all said instances would be manifestly the same.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination of a spiralY spring or sp1-ings with therails `and sliding seat 0f a being constructed Combined and operating recumbent Chan1 Whlch will allow the seat substantially as herein descrlbed.

to be forced forward and the back t0 assume HENRY PERES KENNEDY. a reclining posture and which Will restore Vifritnesse: A 5 the `seat and back t0 their orderinai'y pos- RICD. PARKIN,

tion, When the force is `removed the Whole J'. F. MACAULEY. 

